A low and slow stew perfect for a Sunday night fall dinner.  (and scroll down for a chance to win one of these gorgeous dishes courtesy of World Kitchen) 

Back in the 90's when I was living in Alberta, my dearest friend and I would frequent, and I mean seriously FREQUENT,  a vietnamese fusion restaurant. (I miss the metabolism of my 20's).  Their lemongrass beef was without a doubt, one of the best things I had ever tasted.  To this day, it ranks top ten for sure.  It was somehow sweet, spicy but slightly floral in all the perfect doses.  These days I often 'forget' about lemongrass.  I think because it is always tucked away in the produce department all nonchalant-like, it never catches my eye.  After a recent trip to Seattle with my husband where we made it our mission to eat Vietnamese three times a day, the desire to bring lemongrass to my own table has been on my mind.

A slow braised stew to welcome Fall seemed like the perfect opportunity.

This dish is not something you throw together in a rush.  The good news it is also by no means complicated.  It just takes some time to build the components.

And it is so worth it.

Patiently searing the beef is a key step you cannot skip.  I tend to want to rush this but I know how much more flavour comes by letting it build a solid crust.  Some people comment that fresh lemongrass can be woody or fibrous.  They are not incorrect.  The secret is to make sure you peel off the outer layers.  In this case, between pulverizing it in the food processor and then cooking it down slightly before a lengthy braise, you shouldn't experience any fibrous texture.

So while this does take some time, the beauty is once you get it transferred into your ovenware you just set the timer and walk away.  Once Little left for school, the prep took me about 30 minutes and then into the CorningWare and into the oven for a good part of the day.  In this case, the colourful bakeware made perfect serving dished so I just took them from oven to table.

No mess after dinner.

In exchange for developing & photographing a recipe that would showcase CorningWares product, the kind people at World Kitchen sent me this beautiful set of cookware and compensated me monetarily.  The great news is they are offering readers of Food Well Said the chance to win a 2.5 Quart Vermillion Baker from CW by CorningWare (Retail value $21.99).  The contest is only open to Canadian residents and all you have to do to enter is:

1.  Leave a comment below telling me your favourite fall comfort dish.
2.  Bonus entry: follow Food Well Said on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this recipe picture.
3.  Bonus entry: like and follow Food Well Said on Facebook and leave a comment on this recipe post.

Contest closes 23:59 October 12th, 2015.

Enjoy! (and GOOD LUCK!)

Lemongrass Beef Stew with Roasted Root Vegetables

Author: Food Well Said

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 5 hours

Total time: 5 hours 30 mins

A low and slow stew perfect for a fall evening.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of chuck steak or roast, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tablepsoons vegetable oil
• 3 lemongrass stalks, bottom third, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces.
• 3 kafir lime leaves
• 2 gloves garlic
• 1 inch 'thumb' of fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup red wine (or broth, for deglazing pan)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (canned variety)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 4 - 6 baby vidalia onions (or any sweet onion, quartered)
• Roasted Veg
• 1 bunch of fresh carrots
• 1 bunch of radishes
• 4 - 6 baby vidalia onions (or any sweet onion, quartered)
• 1 celeriac root, peel and cubed
• 1 large yellow beet, peel and cubed
• 1 lime, quartered
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat a heavy skillet (not non-stick) over medium high heat and add oil. Sear the beef, placing piece by piece into the pan and not moving it for 3-5 minutes. You want a deep, dark brown sear on the meat. Don't overcrowd the pan. When pieces are browned place into oven safe baking dish and repeat.
2. Preheat oven to 300.
3. While meat is searing, put lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and cilantro into food processor and run until a paste forms. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times.
4. Once meat is done, deglaze pan with red wine. Add lemongrass paste and sauté over medium heat so it absorbs the wine and all the meat flavours. Add tomato paste, stir again until mixture has softened. Add coconut milk, broth and sugar and bring to a boil.
5. Ladle broth over meat (reserve about 1/4 cup for the roasted veg), add onions and cover with tin foil or lid. Place in oven for one hour. After one hour, reduce heat to 200 and cook an additional 3 - 4 hours. The meat will braise and be very tender.
6. Roasted vegetables: Assemble vegetables and lime in oven proof pan. Toss will olive oil, sat and pepper and small amount of reserved lemongrass broth. Roast in oven for 2 hours at 200 degrees. (or at 350 for 1 hour)
7. Enjoy!

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